Line 01 / Power only dispatch services
Power only dispatch services that do the trailer math first
Running power only takes a whole line off your costs: no trailer note, no trailer insurance, no trailer tires. It also changes the freight. Drop-and-hook programs, preloaded trailers and pool freight move on different terms than live van loads. We book the loads where that trade pays, against your truck's own cost per mile.
Some carriers run power only full time; others own a trailer and pick up power only loads to fill gaps. Either way the question is the same: does this load pay my truck, after the fee, without a trailer to carry? Every offer comes to you with that answer worked out.
Line 02 / Dispatch vs doing it yourself
A power only dispatcher vs running the programs yourself
Power only freight lives partly on load boards and partly inside broker and shipper trailer programs, each with its own app, onboarding and rules. Here is who does what either way.
| Job | On your own | With LoadSteward |
|---|---|---|
| Finding power only loads | Boards plus each program's app, between drives | Us, across boards and broker contacts |
| Onboarding to trailer programs | Paperwork for each program | We prepare it; you sign |
| Interchange insurance check | You read every requirement | We match loads to your coverage |
| Rate negotiation | You | Us, from your floor |
| Accepting a load | You | You. The rate con comes straight to you |
| Trailer pickup and drop appointments | You, with each yard | We confirm them and track check calls |
| Detention, TONU, layover | Often skipped | Claimed with timestamps |
| Cost | Your hours | 5% of gross, nothing in weeks you don't haul |
Trailer interchange coverage is the detail that trips up power only carriers. When you pull someone else's trailer, many programs want proof that damage to that trailer is covered, with a set limit. Talk to your insurance agent before your first power only load; we check each program's requirement against what you have.
Drop and hook is the upside. A preloaded trailer at the yard means no waiting at a dock, which can turn a slow day into an extra load. We look for those first, and we still log arrival times in case a yard keeps you waiting anyway.
Line 03 / Trailer vs no trailer
What the trailer really costs you per mile
Start with your truck's cost per mile without the trailer (the trucking cost per mile calculator gives you this if you leave the trailer lines at zero). Add the trailer's payment, insurance and upkeep. Then put in the rate you get with your own trailer and the rate you'd take as power only. The two receipts print net per mile both ways, after the 5% fee.
Everything except the trailer
ESTIMATE
ESTIMATE
With these numbers your own trailer nets about $0.071 more per mile: the higher rate covers the trailer.
Made-up starting values, fee at 5%. A sold or paid-off trailer still has insurance and upkeep; a trailer you keep for some loads still costs you on power only weeks.
Reading the two receipts
The rate gap is the number brokers show you; the trailer cost per mile is the number they don't. If power only pays 20 cents a mile less but your trailer costs you 14 cents a mile, the trailer is still earning 6 cents a mile, before you count the extra freight it opens up. If the trailer costs you 25 cents, you have been paying to pull it. Most carriers have never divided the trailer out of their cost per mile, which is why this decision usually gets made on a feeling.
A trailer you already own outright still costs something every month: insurance, tires, repairs, registration. Selling it saves those lines; keeping it gives you more freight to choose from. If you run vans most weeks and power only to fill gaps, compare the two by the week, not the load. Our dry van dispatch page shows how we price van loads on the same terms.
Who power only fits
- Carriers between trailers. A trailer sold, totaled or in the shop doesn't have to mean a parked tractor.
- Owner-operators cutting fixed costs. One less note, one less insurance line, one less set of tires to replace.
- Small fleets with more tractors than trailers. Power only keeps the extra tractor earning.
- Drivers who hate live unloads. Drop and hook trades dock time for drive time.
Who it doesn't
Carriers whose best customers want their own trailer, specialized freight that needs your equipment, and lanes where trailer pools are thin. In those cases the trailer earns its keep, and selling it would cut you off from the freight that pays. We'll tell you honestly which side of that line your lanes sit on before you change anything.
Power only freight runs heavy on dry van trailers between distribution centers, retail and e-commerce networks, and some reefer and flatbed pool programs. Availability changes by region and season, so we check your home market before you plan around it.
Line 04 / Fee and questions
Power only dispatch, asked plainly
5% of gross for one tractor with 6+ months of authority, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% per truck for 2 or more (limited time). No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice. Full list on our dispatch fees.
The fee is the same whether you pull your trailer or someone else's, and it is only on loads you haul. Every power only load is offered to you first, with the yard, the trailer status and the rate. You confirm or decline, and the rate confirmation comes straight to you.
How does power only dispatch work?
You supply the tractor and driver; the shipper, broker or a trailer pool supplies the trailer. We find loads where a trailer is waiting, often preloaded for drop and hook, negotiate the rate, and send you the details. You confirm the load, the rate con comes to you, and you hook, haul and drop.
Does power only pay less than dry van?
The posted rate is often lower, because you aren't bringing a trailer. Whether you earn less depends on what a trailer costs you per mile. If the trailer payment, insurance and upkeep cost more per mile than the rate gap, power only can net more. The receipts on this page show where your line falls.
How much does a trailer add to my cost per mile?
Add the trailer's monthly payment, its share of insurance, and its tires and repairs, then divide by your monthly miles. On 10,000 miles a month, $1,200 of trailer costs is 12 cents a mile. Your own numbers decide it; the calculator on this page does the division for you.
Can a new MC run power only?
Yes, though some trailer pools and brokers set minimums on authority age, insurance limits and trailer interchange coverage. We start new authorities with programs that accept them. The fee is 7% until the MC is 6 months old, then 5%.
How much do power only dispatchers charge?
Many dispatchers charge a percentage of gross, and some a flat weekly fee. Ours is 5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority, 7% for a new MC, 4% per truck for 2 or more. No setup fee, no contract, and nothing in a week you don't haul.
What we check on every power only offer
- + Where the trailer is, whether it is loaded, and the pickup window at the yard.
- + Interchange coverage and any insurance minimums the program sets.
- + Seal, weight and paperwork rules for the preloaded trailer.
- + Where you drop it, and whether there is a trailer to take back out.
- + The all-in rate with the bobtail or deadhead miles counted.
Bring the tractor. We'll find the trailers.
Send your truck, insurance limits and home base. We book power only loads that clear your cost per mile, and you confirm every one before it books.
5% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.